Beauty Blog

Mondays Mary Make and Do

April 4th, 2011
When it comes to testing lotions and potions we at L’Onglex consider ourselves to be no more than human Guinea pigs for your beauty amusement.
Simply, if a product looks like it might beautify our pretty little faces we’ll slap it on no matter what the cost to our skin and post up the results on these very pages and having recently tried a compact containing what turned out to be toxic blusher toward the end of last week we thought it about time we made a healing face mask and let our skin calm down a little.
The face mask in question is a soothing Aloe Vera remedy designed to calm skin and can be made in a jiffy. Guaranteed to work for rashes, sensitive skin, breakouts and even sunburn you can get hold of pure Aloe Vera online or at many good pharmacies for a fraction of the price of most creams. For the face mask all you’ll need for our latest Mary Make and Do recipe is the following ….
3 tablespoons of aloe Vera Juice
1 table spoon of Aloe Vera gel
Rose essential oil
Here’s how it’s done ….
To make the mask simply mix the three ingredients in a bowl until they’ve blended and then apply to the face and neck. Allow the mix to work into skin for five minutes before rinsing away the mask with water and cotton wool.
And finally ….
Although it may cost a few quid it’s one of those things that can be used neat and is great for hand repairs and intensive treatments, as a final reminder don’t forget to apply your moisturiser afterwards as although it does a great job at repair, Aloe Vera can leave skin a little dry afterwards.

aloe_vera

When it comes to testing lotions and potions we at L’Onglex consider ourselves to be no more than human Guinea pigs for your beauty amusement.

Simply, if a product looks like it might beautify our pretty little faces we’ll slap it on no matter what the cost to our skin and post up the results on these very pages and having recently tried a compact containing what turned out to be toxic blusher toward the end of last week we thought it about time we made a healing face mask and let our skin calm down a little.

The face mask in question is a soothing Aloe Vera remedy designed to calm skin and can be made in a jiffy. Guaranteed to work for rashes, sensitive skin, breakouts and even sunburn you can get hold of the masks main ingredients (pure Aloe Vera) by buying online or at good pharmacies and all for a fraction of the price of most creams.

For our latest Mary Make and Do recipe is the following ….

3 tablespoons of aloe Vera Juice

1 table spoon of Aloe Vera gel

Rose essential oil

Here’s how it’s done ….

To make the mask simply mix the three ingredients in a bowl until they’ve blended and then apply to the face and neck. Allow the mix to work into skin for five minutes before rinsing away the mask with water and cotton wool.

And finally ….

Although it may cost a few quid Aloe Vera is one of those products that can be used neat and is great for hand repairs and intensive treatments. As a final reminder don’t forget to apply  moisturiser afterwards as although it is good at repair, Aloe Vera can sometimes leave skin a little dry after use.

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Posted in Beauty treatments, DIY beauty, Face creams, Mary make and do, Natural Beauty, Organic beauty, Skincare |

Mary make and do: Lavender body wrap

February 28th, 2011
Having watched the oscars ceremony last night L’Onglex is currently feeling more than a little bleary eyed and more than a little green with envy. Pick of the bunch for us has to be Anne Hathaway who looked stunning in that red gown and lipstick combo and having missed our Z’s and woken bleary eyed after a few hours sleep our dreams of radiant Hollywood skin have turned to dust and what we are left with is a decidedly turgid constitution !
As we won’t be making our own acceptance speech in the near future this doesn’t matter too much but we are at the very least a little concerned about getting in shape for spring. In preference to a salon splurge we’ve been casting around for a Monday Mary Make and Do recipe that might help pick us up and not scare passing motorists when we do at last ‘dare to bare’. For our Hollywood style herbal body wrap you will need the following  …
A hot room !
A plastic sheet
3 old but very soft bath towels
1 large basin
1 cup of dried lavender
1 garden recliner ( plastic )
Here’s how it’s done ….
Lay the plastic sheet down on the floor and place the recliner over the sheet. Next, take 2 towels and place them in basin of hot water and add the dried lavender to the mix and allow this to soak for ten minutes. While the lavender is soaking, take a hot shower which will soften up your skin and allow the pores to open for the wrap. Once the towels have soaked wring the excess water from the towels and wrap one towel on your top half and the other on your bottom half. Recline for fifteen minutes and allow the mixture to seep into your skin. Once the time is up pat dry with a clean dry towel and moisturise all over.
So far so good. Yes, this does smell a bit ‘lavendery’ but the results are staggering ! More Mary Make and Do’s coming soon.

1659051

Having watched the oscars ceremony last night L’Onglex is currently feeling more than a little bleary eyed and more than a little green with envy.

Pick of the bunch for us has to be Anne Hathaway who looked stunning in that red gown and lipstick combo and having missed our Z’s and woken bleary eyed after a few hours sleep our dreams of radiant Hollywood skin have turned to dust and what we are left with is a decidedly turgid constitution !

As we won’t be making our own acceptance speech in the near future the state of our skin doesn’t matter too much but we are at the very least a little concerned about getting in shape for spring.

In preference to a salon splurge we’ve been casting around for a Monday Mary Make and Do recipe that might help pick us up and not scare passing motorists when we do at last ‘dare to bare’.

So … for our Hollywood style herbal body wrap you will need the following  …

A hot room !

A plastic sheet

3 old but very soft bath towels

1 large basin

1 cup of dried lavender

1 garden recliner ( plastic )

Here’s how it’s done ….

Lay the plastic sheet down on the floor and place the recliner over the sheet.

Next, take 2 towels and place them in basin of hot water and add the dried lavender to the mix and allow this to soak for ten minutes.

While the lavender is soaking, take a hot shower which will soften up your skin and allow the pores to open for the wrap. Once the towels have soaked wring the excess water from the towels and wrap one towel on your top half and the other on your bottom half.

Recline for fifteen minutes and allow the mixture to seep into your skin. Once the time is up pat dry with a clean dry towel and moisturise skin all over.

The results …

So far so good. OK, it does leave skin smelling quite ‘lavendery’ but the results are staggering ! More Mary Make and Do’s coming soon.

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Posted in Anti ageing, Beauty treatments, DIY beauty, Mary make and do, Natural Beauty |

Who loves Adele ?

February 23rd, 2011
ho loves fish face ?
Now that we’re officially over the hump we’ve been looking for a little Saturday night make-up inspiration and after figuring we rather liked the look of Adele at the Brit awards a little hunting online for her look led us to Lauren Luke’s latest celebrity ‘how to’
Thinking will be just perfect for our weekend out Lauren demonstrates how to nail that perfectly smokey bronzed look by some simple blending techniques for the eyes and a highlighting technique which the geordie princess of powder calls ‘fish face’. On reflection this might not sound too pretty, but the end result is nicely contoured cheeks.
Rimmel, Benefit and MAC are all in the mix and as with all things Lauren Luke ( http://www.bylaurenluke.com/default.aspx ), the video is just so easy to follow – we love this look !
<strong><a href=”javascript:popUp(’http://vkm2.com/vid_master/fifty_eight.html’)”><span style=”color: #654f72;”>Click here to watch the video</span></a></strong>
<a href=”javascript:popUp(’http://vkm2.com/vid_master/fifty_eight.html’)”>
http://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/adele-21.jpg

Now that we’re officially over the hump we’ve been looking for a little Saturday night make-up inspiration and after figuring we rather liked the look of Adele at the Brit awards a little hunting online for her look led us to Lauren Luke’s latest celebrity ‘how to’

Thinking will be just perfect for our weekend out Lauren demonstrates how to nail that perfectly smokey bronzed look by some simple blending techniques for the eyes and a highlighting technique which the geordie princess of powder calls ‘fish face’. On reflection this might not sound too pretty, but the end result is nicely contoured cheeks.

Rimmel, Benefit and MAC are all in the mix and as with all things Lauren Luke, the video is just so easy to follow – we love this look !

Click here to watch the video

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Posted in Celebrity beauty, DIY beauty, L'Onglex loves, MAC, Make up tips/how to, Rimmel, Videos |

Hair tips from the farmyard ….

February 22nd, 2011
Hair tips from the farmyard ….
Although we at L’Onglex like hearing of the strange and unusual when it comes to tips and treatments the latest ‘cult-product’ supposedly doing the rounds has left us feeling a little out of sorts.
I mean, we love to experiment and all that but news that the blogosphere is buzzing with salutations concerning the uber amounts of general hair happiness to be had by applying a product called Mane and Tail shampoo is making us a bit …. giddy.
Supposedly the shampoo of choice for thoroughbreds everywhere, Mane and Tail has now bolted the stable door and has been spotted in the hands of stylists at some very swanky salons in the States.
Quite who it was that decided to give it a go in the first place we are as yet unsure but although we Irish are known for our love of horses, I can’t really see it catching on to quickly with the girls of Co Meath.
Having plastered my hair in Guinness, stuck mashed strawberries on my face and plastered my buttocks with a cream made from placentas I know I’m not exactly best qualified to be critical, but the way we see it, using a horse shampoo is probably taking your love of equine accessories a bit too far – if you have a mane and tail, this ones for you, if you merely have a mane …. we say refrain !!

horse_shampoo

Although we at L’Onglex like hearing of the strange and unusual when it comes to tips and treatments the latest ‘cult-product’ supposedly doing the rounds has left us feeling a little out of sorts.

I mean, we love to experiment and all that but news that the blogosphere is buzzing with salutations concerning the uber amounts of general hair happiness to be had by applying a product called Mane and Tail shampoo is making us a bit …. giddy.

Supposedly the shampoo of choice for thoroughbreds everywhere, Mane and Tail has now bolted the stable door and has been spotted in the hands of stylists at some very swanky salons in the States.

Quite who it was that decided to give it a go in the first place we are as yet unsure but although we Irish are known for our love of horses, I can’t really see it catching on too quickly.

Having plastered my hair in Guinness, stuck mashed strawberries on my face and plastered my buttocks with a cream made from placentas I know I’m not exactly best qualified to be critical, but the way we see it, using a horse shampoo is probably taking your love of equine accessories a bit too far – if you have a mane and tail, this ones for you, if you merely have a mane …. we say refrain !!

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Posted in DIY beauty, Hair care & styling, Hair treatments |

Bespoke brows for London Fashion Week

February 18th, 2011
Whether you go the salon route or take the bottle approach, matching your collars with your cuffs is always a bit of a tricky one. Lets face it, eyebrows just never come out the same colour and the mismatch that is the end result is always a bit of a giveaway.
Quite why nobody has come up with a solution to this two tone dilemma is really beyond our reckoning but news this week of a London salon who are rolling out a range of brow colours in time for London Fashion Week has had us quite intrigued.
Using a hand painted palette of custom dye which features around fifty shades, the treatment from the people at Blink Bar promises a match to any colour and to  any tone and is so accurate we are also assured it can even be matched to highlights. Since the problem with dyeing your hair and not your eyebrows is the difference in colour, L’Onglex did wonder whether the dye could be used on lashes as well … it can.
Having worked out that we’d really like a go of this to see if it works were probably going to have to wait for a little while until the salons in Ireland get round to making up a batch or two of their own dyes for our colouring pleasure. As much as we love getting our ducks in a row, getting on a Ryanair to London to have our brows dyed does seem to be a treatment too far for the moment.
http://www.focusonstyle.com/var/fos/storage/images/focusonstyle.com/fashion-shows/fall-winter-2010-runway/mary-katrantzou/66812-1-eng-US/Mary-Katrantzou-Fashion-Show-Photos-London-Fashion-Week-fw-10_fashion_show_image.jpg

Whether you go the salon route or take the bottle approach, matching your collars with your cuffs is always a bit of a tricky one. Lets face it, eyebrows just never come out the same colour and the mismatch that is the end result is always a bit of a giveaway

Quite why nobody has come up with a solution to this two tone dilemma is really beyond our reckoning but news this week of a London salon who are rolling out a range of brow colours in time for London Fashion Week has had us quite intrigued.

Using a hand painted palette of custom dye which features around fifty shades, the treatment from the people at Blink Bar promises a match to any colour and to  any tone and is so accurate we are also assured it can even be matched to highlights. Since the problem with dyeing your hair and not your eyebrows is the difference in colour, L’Onglex did wonder whether the dye could be used on lashes as well … it can.

Having worked out that we’d really like a go of this to see if it works were probably going to have to wait for a little while until the salons in Ireland get round to making up a batch or two of their own dyes for our colouring pleasure. As much as we love getting our ducks in a row, getting on a Ryanair to London to have our brows dyed does seem to be a treatment too far for the moment.

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Posted in Beauty gadgets, Beauty news, Beauty tools, Beauty treatments, Beauty trends, Brow pencils and liners, DIY beauty, Eyeshadow and mascaras |

Mary Make and Do: A valentines face mask

February 11th, 2011
Now that the weekend of lurve is finally upon us we at L’Onglex have been on the hunt for a beauty boost in time for Sunday. You know the sort of thing, romantic, decadent, luxurious and .. well … cheap ! Finding the above was not an easy task but after some dedicated searching we came across just the recipe.
Inspired by the Strawberries and Cream facial at none other than the Ritz Carlton Hotel ( our bank balance won’t stretch to actually buying five star spa luxuries) this delicious mask is great for waking up tired skin. The natural acid in the strawberries works as to gently exfoliate while the cream will moisturise and leave skin super soft ….
You will need….
1 cup fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. cornstarch
To brew the mask simply pop your strawberries and cream into a blender and pulse blend until you have a thick even paste. Next add the cornstarch and blend on a low speed for about 20 seconds. Once the mixture is consistent pop it into a glass and let it set in the fridge for 8 hours. All that’s left to do is apply the mask onto a cleansed face, put your feet up for twenty and rinse with warm water.

strawberry_facemask

Now that the weekend of lurve is finally upon us we at L’Onglex have been on the hunt for a beauty boost in time for Sunday. You know the sort of thing, romantic, decadent, luxurious and .. well … cheap ! Finding the above was not an easy task but after some dedicated searching we came across just the recipe.

Inspired by the Strawberries and Cream facial at none other than the Ritz Carlton Hotel ( our bank balance won’t stretch to actually buying five star spa luxuries) this delicious mask is great for waking up tired skin. The natural acid in the strawberries works as to gently exfoliate while the cream will moisturise and leave skin super soft ….

You will need….

1 cup fresh strawberries

2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tbsp. cornstarch

To brew the mask simply pop your strawberries and cream into a blender and pulse blend until you have a thick even paste. Next add the cornstarch and blend on a low speed for about 20 seconds. Once the mixture is consistent pop it into a glass and let it set in the fridge for 8 hours. All that’s left to do is apply the mask onto a cleansed face, put your feet up for twenty and rinse with warm water !

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Posted in DIY beauty, Mary make and do, Organic beauty, Scrubs, Skincare |

Mary Make and Do: The 2 Egg Hair Rinse Recipe

January 17th, 2011
Mary Make and Do: The 2 Egg Hair Rinse Recipe
Although we at L’Onglex HQ have cut down on the amount of hair styling of late it did manage to occur to us that for the most part our wholly unmanageable main may be suffering from something of a festive hangover. But with all the curling one minute and straightening the next ( not too mention the spray and spritz ) we now find our limp locks in sorely in need of some serious lift – which is where this weeks Mary Make and Do comes in !
Yup, after hours spent searching online looking at the weird and wonderful concoctions available, we finally came across a protein rich hair mask that is guaranteed to put the bounce back into your bonce whilst at the same time leaving hair silky smooth and well protected. Why exactly we finally decided to use this treatment is that it was the easiest method we could find and, more importantly,  all it was going to cost us was 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of water and dash or two of olive oil !
So …..
Step 1 – Beat the eggs and water in a small bowl and apply to clean, damp hair, making sure to massage the mix into the scalp and roots.
Step 2 – Put your feet up for 15 minutes and leave the protein in the eggs to get to work restoring your tired tresses.
Step 3 – Once your 15 minutes is up, use a mild shampoo to rinse the egg mix out
Step 4 – To finish ( and while hair is still damp ), work the Olive Oil through hair from the tips to the crown
Finally, we would like to mention that despite the simplicity of this recipe we somehow managed to get it wrong at the first time of asking. Basically, despite having egg in our hair it did not occur to us that if the water we rinsed with was too hot the egg would start to thicken and cook and we would be left with the rather unpleasant task of having to untangle bits of omelette from the ends of our hair. If you are going to try this we would suggest using warm water as opposed to hot when it’s time to rinse out the mix !

egg_hair_treatment

Although we at L’Onglex HQ have cut down the hair styling it did occur to us that our wholly unmanageable main may be suffering from something of a festive hangover. With all the curling one minute and straightening the next ( not too mention the spray and spritz ) we now find our limp locks sorely in need of some serious lift, and that’s where this weeks Mary Make and Do comes in !

Yup, after hours spent searching online looking at the weird and wonderful concoctions available, we finally came across a protein rich homemade hair mask recipe that is guaranteed to put the bounce back into your bonce whilst at the same time leaving hair silky smooth and well protected. In truth we decided to use this treatment as it was the easiest we could find and, more importantly, all it was only going to cost us was 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of water, and dash or two of olive oil !

So …..

Step 1 - Beat the eggs and water in a small bowl and apply to clean, damp hair, making sure to massage the mix into the scalp and roots.

Step 2 – Put your feet up for 15 minutes and leave the protein in the eggs to get to work restoring your tired tresses.

Step 3 - Once your 15 minutes is up, use a mild shampoo to rinse the egg mix out

Step 4 - To finish ( and while hair is still damp ), work the Olive Oil through hair from the tips to the crown

Finally, we would like to mention that despite the simplicity of this recipe we somehow managed to get it wrong at the first time of asking.

Basically, despite having egg in our hair it did not occur to us that if the water we rinsed with was too hot, the egg would start to thicken and cook whilst in our hair and we would be left with the rather unpleasant task of having to untangle bits of omelette from our scalp.

So, if you are going to try this ( and it is good ! ) might we suggest using warm water as opposed to hot when it’s time to rinse out the mix !

2 Comments »

Posted in Beauty treatments, Budget beauty buys, DIY beauty, Hair treatments, Mary make and do |

Mary Make and Do – the papaya facial

December 30th, 2010
A few too many chocolate Roses, a few too many mince pies and five days spent beside the fire has left L’Onglex’s skin with about as much life as last Saturdays turkey !
As nice as it is to stuff ourselves even we will admit that it doesn’t really do a whole lot for the complexion and whilst it may not be quite the time to ditch the party foods and grab the fruit, we did at the very least come across a skin boosting recipe that will see us right for the new year.
As with any skin dilemma a homemade concoction is always more frugal than a store bought remedy and so our latest Mary Make and Do is a homemade facemask which helps retain moisture, cleanse skin and fight the pimples that invariably follow five days of stuffing ourselves silly.
You will need …..
Half a cup of unripe diced Papaya
1 tablespoon of plain Yogurt.
1 teaspoon of Honey.
So ….
Blend all of the ingredients into a food processor until a smooth paste is formed. Place the mix in a bowl and leave to chill for fifteen minutes. Once the mixture has cooled apply in liberal quantities to the face and neck and allow to seep into the skin for about ten minutes. Rinse skin gently with warm water and eh voila, your mask is done.
Although this is a pretty good pick-me-up for skin we think we should add a small note of caution. As yogurt contains lactic acid and live cultures if you suffer from very sensitive skin or feel a burning or stinging rather than tingling sensation wash the mix off immediately before it sits too long on the skin.

2476792

A few too many chocolate Roses, a few too many mince pies and five days spent beside the fire has left L’Onglex’s skin with about as much life as last Saturdays turkey !

As nice as it is to stuff ourselves even we will admit that it doesn’t really do a whole lot for the complexion and whilst it may not be quite the time to ditch the party foods and grab the fruit, we did at the very least come across a skin boosting recipe that will see us right for New Years Eve.

As with any skin dilemma a homemade concoction is always more frugal than a store bought remedy and so our latest Mary Make and Do is a homemade facemask which helps retain moisture, cleanse skin and fight the pimples that invariably follow five days of stuffing ourselves silly.

You will need …..

Half a cup of unripe diced Papaya

1 tablespoon of plain Yogurt.

1 teaspoon of Honey.

So ….

Blend all of the ingredients into a food processor until a smooth paste is formed. Place the mix in a bowl and leave to chill for fifteen minutes. Once the mixture has cooled apply in liberal quantities to the face and neck and allow to seep into the skin for about ten minutes. Once the ten minutes is up rinse away the mix gently with warm water and eh voila ….  your mask is done !

Although this is a pretty good pick-me-up for skin we think we should at the very least add a small note of caution. As yogurt contains lactic acid and live cultures if you suffer from very sensitive skin or feel a burning or stinging rather than a tingling sensation when you apply the mix wash the stuff off immediately before any damage is done. More Mary Make and Do’s coming soon !

2 Comments »

Posted in Anti ageing, Beauty treatments, DIY beauty, Face creams, Mary make and do |

Santa CLAWS is coming to town …

December 21st, 2010
Santa CLAWS is coming to town ….
Just three days to go and all at L’Onglex are getting ready for the imminent arrival of the big man in red and his stocking full of goodies.
Aside from a bag mostly brimming with chocolate we are also hoping for another set of the above party falsies from none other than Julien MacDonald.
Thinking that our chances of getting these anywhere near our nails after three  Christmas cocktails were slim to none we must admit that we weren’t too keen when we first saw them.
Having now discovered they stick on in a jiffy we’ve been flashing these around and we have to say we’re quite impressed with the overall effect.
In the unlikely event Santa doesn’t bring you a set you can get them in Debenhams for €8 – available in Plain & Gold, Gold & Black, black Zig-Zag and Grey Stud we think they’re perfect for the party season.

star_by_Julien_MacDonald

Just three days to go and all at L’Onglex are getting ready for the imminent arrival of the big man in red and his stocking full of goodies.

Aside from a bag mostly brimming with chocolate we are also hoping for another set of the above party falsies from none other than Julien MacDonald.

Thinking that our chances of getting these anywhere near our nails after three  Christmas cocktails were slim to none we must admit that we weren’t too keen when we first saw them.

Having now discovered they stick on in a jiffy we’ve been flashing these around and we have to say we’re quite impressed with the overall effect.

In the unlikely event Santa doesn’t bring you a set you can get them in Debenhams for €8 – available in Plain & Gold, Gold & Black, black Zig-Zag and Grey Stud. Perfect for the party season ?

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Posted in Beauty gadgets, DIY beauty, L'Onglex loves, Love your nails, Manicures, Nail tips |

Mary Make and Do: A cure for dark circles

December 13th, 2010
Of all the natural ingredients you can add to beauty remedies we’ve never actually come across one which features the humble spud. Until now !!
Having thought about the subject for the best part of an afternoon we at the L’Onglex blog can’t quite work out why it is exactly that every variety of fruit and vegetable should have a beauty product devoted to it but the noble potato should be left in the cupboard.
As we’re always on the lookout for the weird and wonderful we seem to have overlooked the obvious so when we finally came across a potato based remedy for getting rid of the dark circles around our  eyes we were more than delighted.
So …. take 1 small waxy potato. Cut the potato into small squares and wrap the squares in a muslin cloth. Apply the cloth and potato to the eyes for 15-20 minutes and eh voila …. a cure for those dreaded dark circles which seem to appear out of nowhere and cloud everyones eyelids from time to time.
Quick, frugal and plentiful, why don’t more beauty recipes use the potato ? More Mary Make and Do’s coming soon !

potato_dark_circles_cure

Of all the natural ingredients you can add to beauty remedies we’ve never actually come across one which features the humble spud. Until now !!

Having thought about the subject for the best part of an afternoon we at the L’Onglex blog can’t quite work out why it is exactly that every variety of fruit and vegetable should have a beauty product devoted to it but the noble potato should be left in the cupboard.

As we’re always on the lookout for the weird and wonderful we seem to have overlooked the obvious so when we finally came across a potato based remedy for getting rid of the dark circles around our  eyes we were more than delighted.

So …. take 1 small waxy potato. Cut the potato into small squares and wrap the squares in a muslin cloth. Apply the cloth and potato to the eyes for 15-20 minutes and eh voila …. a cure for those dreaded dark circles which seem to appear out of nowhere and cloud everyones eyelids from time to time.

Quick, frugal and plentiful, why don’t more beauty recipes use the potato ? More Mary Make and Do’s coming soon !

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Posted in DIY beauty, Natural Beauty, Organic beauty |


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